Method of automatically augmenting an electronic message

Abstract

A method of automatically augmenting an electronic message, such as an email message, webmail, IM message, posting on a social network site, webpage or message in any other medium or format with automatically generated content (a ‘Donation Mechanic’) within the footer of consumer emails. The recipient of the message can select the Donation Mechanic to trigger an event, such as a payment from the Brand to the Cause.

1 . Method of automatically augmenting an electronic message, such as an email message, webmail, IM message, posting on a social network site, webpage or message in any other medium or format with pre-stored or dynamically generated content (a ‘Donation Mechanic’), such as text, graphics, audio or video, in which:
 (a) a message sender, prior to sending the electronic message, selects or inputs to a computer some data, defining the type or name of a beneficiary, such as a charity or cause or a specifically named entity (a ‘Cause’), or permits the Cause to be remotely selected or confirmed; 
 (b) the computer and/or the remote server retrieve or dynamically create the Donation Mechanic, so that the Donation Mechanic includes or refers to or is otherwise based on the Cause; 
 (c) the computer and/or the remote server automatically inserts the Donation Mechanic into the electronic message. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , where a plug-in or app, downloaded to the computer, enables the automatic augmenting of the electronic message. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  in which the message sender selects one or more Causes from a list of possible Causes displayed on the computer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , in which a rules-based engine determines what Cause or Causes are appropriate to assign to the Donation Mechanic in the message. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the rules based engine determines dynamically for each message what Cause or Causes are appropriate to assign to the Donation Mechanic in the message. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the Cause is randomly selected at the message sender's computer or the remote server. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically selects the Cause based on the closest match between the profile of the message sender and criteria set by various Causes. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically selects the Cause based on the location of the message sender. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically selects the Cause based on presence information associated with the message sender, such as mood or status. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically assigns a Cause that has been pre-selected. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically allocates the same Cause to all active message bearers or message mediums associated with the message sender. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server automatically allocates different Causes to different active message bearers or message mediums associated with the message sender. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the message sender, prior to sending the electronic message, selects or inputs to a computer some data, defining the type or name of an entity (the ‘Brand’) to be associated with the Donation Mechanic, such as being a sponsor that will pay for the Donation Mechanic, or permits the Brand to be remotely selected. 
     
     
         14 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer and/or the remote server retrieves or dynamically creates the Donation Mechanic based on various parameters (‘Donation Mechanic Parameters’). 
     
     
         28 - 48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 1 , in which Donation Mechanic includes a portion, region or object, such as a plant or animal (‘Engagement Item’), that, when selected by the recipient, causes a new window, such as a browser window, to open and display information relevant to the Brand and/or Cause. 
     
     
         50 - 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the message recipient receives, views or selects or clicks on the Donation Mechanic using his computer, then that computer sends a message to the remote server or another remote server that causes a signal to be sent to a payment server, defining or triggering a payment to the Cause. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the Engagement Item enables the message recipient to directly receive an offer, reward or other benefit (a ‘Treat’) by selecting the Engagement Item. 
     
     
         61 - 64 . (canceled) 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 1 , in which, when the message recipient selects an Engagement Item, a unique tracking URL enables the click details to be recorded, and the message recipient is re-directed to a corresponding destination web site. 
     
     
         66 . (canceled) 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the message sender can view all money (or equivalent currency/units) that he or she has raised for Causes on a website. 
     
     
         68 - 70 . (canceled) 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the computer or the remote server detects when a user selects a ‘share’ function or equivalent form of recommending/endorsement/sharing for any kind of content, such as a website, social media, or content personal to the user and then the computer and/or remote server automatically inserts a Donation Mechanic into whatever mechanism is used for the share function. 
     
     
         72 - 75 . (canceled) 
     
     
         76 . A method of sharing personal presence information in which:
 (a) a user selects or inputs to a computer some data, defining the type or name of a beneficiary, such as a charity or cause or a specifically named entity (a ‘Cause’), or permits the Cause to be remotely selected;   (b) the user also selects or inputs data, defining the type or name of an entity (the ‘Brand’), being a sponsor that will provide a benefit in exchange for presence information of or linked to the user, or permits the Brand to be remotely selected;   (c) the computer provides, to a remote server, data enabling the Cause and the Brand to be determined; and   (d) the computer and/or remote server determines when a signal is sent that triggers or is otherwise associated with a payment from the Brand to the Cause.   
     
     
         77 - 79 . (canceled) 
     
     
         80 . A computer-implemented communication process, such as sending a message, posting to a social network, or sharing of a webpage, in which the process has a primary function to provide written information and also has a further function to enable the creator of the communication to exploit their reputation, knowledge, trustworthiness, or credibility (‘Social Capital’) by virtue of the medium of the communication, such as email message or social network posting, being automatically augmented by a computer using any of the above methods of automatically augmenting an electronic message. 
     
     
         81 - 86 . (canceled) 
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the remote server includes one or more servers that perform the following functions: provisioning client applications, subscription management, analytics and CRM, media management.